Over 190 people died when the roll-on roll-off ferry capsized off Zeebrugge, Belgium on 6 March 1987.

The bow doors had been left open after departure, and water flooded the car decks.

The tragedy led to new safety regulations in the British ferry industry. With the sinking of the Estonia for similar reasons in 1994 and the deaths of 850 people, new rules in international ferry safety were introduced in 1999.

The Crown Prosecution Service charged P&O European Ferries with corporate manslaughter in 1989 and seven employees with manslaughter.

The case collapsed but it set a precedent for corporate manslaughter being legally admissible in an English court.